Ski binding heel hold-down device

ABSTRACT

A heel hold-down device for ski bindings intended to permit a ready and easy adjustment, both coarse and fine, of the device for a wide range of ski boot sizes. It comprises essentially a slideway forming base plate slidably engaged by a retaining member and also by the body of the heel hold-down device, screwmeans interconnect the retaining member and the body for the fine adjustment. The retaining member has fulcrumed therein a control lever having an inner projection engaging rack means along one longitudinal edge of an aperture formed in the bottom of said base plate. Said rack may have square shaped teeth or a sawtooth.

United States Patent 1191 Ra millon 1451 Apr. 30, 1974 SK] BINDING HEELHOLD-DOWN DEVICE Prima ExaminerRobert R. Song [76] lnventor: ReneRamlllon 2450-42 Avenue,

Grenoble, Frag 94116 Attorney, Agent, or Fzrm--Kar1 F. Ross; HerbertDubno [22] Filed: Sept. 11, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 288,085 [57] ABSTRACT Aheel hold-down device for ski bindings intended to [30] ForeignApplication Priority Data permit a ready and easy adjustment, bothcoarse and S t 22 1971 F 71 34734 fine, of the dev1ce for a w1de rangeof sk1 boot s1zes. 1t ep rance comprises essentially a Slideway formingbase plate slidably engaged by a retaining member and also by the bodyof the heel holddown device, screw means [58] i H 35 H interconnect theretaining member and the body for I the fine adjustment. The retainingmember has ful- 56] References Cited crumed therein a control leverhaving an inner projection engaging rack means along one longitudinaledge UNITED STATES PATENTS of anaperture formed in the bottom of saidbase plate. 2,950,119 8/1960 Gembuch 280/1135 T Said rack may havesquare shaped teeth or a saw- 3,408,087 10/1968 Ramillon 280/1135 Ttooth; 3,531,135 9/1970 Salomon 280/1135 T Y 2,823,397 2/1958 Wagner280/1135 T 6 hums, 5 Drawlng Flgures 1 SKI BINDING HEEL HOLD-DOWN DEVICEThis invention relates in general to ski bindings and has specificreference to heel hold-down devices therefor.

As a rule, ski bindings comprise in all cases means for adjustingthem'as a function of the ski boot size; however, so far as theApplicant is aware, none of the hitherto proposed ski bindings comprisesmeans permitting .b oth fine and coarse adjustment through a very widerange of boot sizes. Thus, it has not been possible to use the same skibinding for a relatively wide range of sizes, such as 4-11, or 6-12.

While the ski-binding adjustment is no problem for a skier having hispersonal outfit so that an adjustment is required only when he purchaseshis bindings or changes from one pair of ski boots to another, this doesnot apply to ski outfits let out for hire and therefore expected to beused by many skiers wearing a wide range of boot sizes; obviously, inthis case it is desirable to be able to make very fast adjustmentsthrough relatively wide size ranges. v

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide means forsolving the problem set forth hereinabove, in the form of a heelhold-down device for a ski binding. The device according to theinvention comprises a body slidably mounted in a fixed slideway having arear extension, well beyond said body, and comprising teeth or notchesengageable by at least one catch rigid with a control lever fulcrumed toa retaining member slidably mounted in the slideway, the body beingadapted to bear on the retaining member.

A clearer understanding of the present invention will be had from thefollowing description, reference being made to the accompanying drawingillustrating diagrammatically an embodiment of the heel hold-down deviceaccording to the invention. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side-elevational view of the device fitted to a ski;

FIG. 2 is a plan view from above of the slidewayforming base platereceiving the body of the device;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 and alongitudinal section taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3, respectively,and

FIG. 5 is a plan view from above showing a modified embodiment of theslideway-forming base plate.

Referring first to FIG. I, the reference numeral 2 designates a ski and3 is the heel hold-down device of the ski binding, this device being ofany type or design. The heel hold-down device 3 is secured to the ski bymeans of a base plate along which it is adapted to move longitudinally.

This base plate designated at 4 in FIGS. 1 4 comprises means for fixingsame to the top surface of the ski 2, and a pair of longitudinal sideedges 5 shaped to constitute slideways engageable for longitudinaltranslation but retained in the vertical direction by the body 3 of thedevice and also by a retaining member 6. It may be seen that the lengthof this base plate 4 is sufficient to enable its lateral slideways 5 toextend to the rear through a distance representing substantially twicethe length of the body 3. Formed through the bottom of said base plate 4is an elongated aperture 7 and one longitudinal side of this aperture iscut (notched) to constitute a rack 8.

The retaining member 6 slidably engaged in the slideways 5 of plate 4comprises a socket 9 receiving freely therein the nonthreaded rearportion of a screwthreaded rod 10 engaging a corresponding nut-formingportion of the body 3. Concentric to said socket 9 is a pivot-formingportion 12 receiving a control lever or lug 13 extending through awindow 14 cut in the lateral wall of the retaining member 6. At its endopposite to that constituting the control lever 13 the member pivoted tosaid socket 12 has an extension in the form of at least one stud or car15 projecting through the aperture 7 of plate 4 in order to engage atleast one notch or tooth of rack 8 with the assistance of a torsionspring As a consequence of the spring loaded locking engagement betweenthe retaining member 6 and the base plate 4, this member 6 is stationarybut also adapted to be shifted in the longitudinal direction foradjusting at will the position of the heel hold-down device 3. v

This adjustement is substantially instantaneous, irrespective of theboot size. In fact, it is only necessary to exert a pressure against theforce of spring 16 on the control lever 13, so that the studs 15' arereleased from the notches or teeth of rack 8; thus, the retaining member6 can be set very easily through a relatively long stroke along the baseplate 4, in either direction, and carry along the heel hold down device3.

When the manual pressure thus exerted for adjustment purposes on lever13 is discontinued, the spring 16 restores this lever to its inoperativeor locked position, in which the studs 15 re-engage the notches or teethof rack 8.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that the retaining member6 and therefore the heel holddown device 3 associated therewith can bemoved along the base plate 4 until the desired position is attained ornearly attained, the subsequent fine adjustment, if necessary, beingperformed by rotating the screw rod 10.

In the modified embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the aperture 77a cutthrough the base plate 4a comprises a longitudinal edge formed not withrack teeth but with saw-teeth 8a, i.e. teeth having one side inclinedand the other side perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of theassembly.

The advantage deriving from this embodiment is that it is not necessaryto depress the manual control lever for moving the retaining member 6and therefore the heel hold-down device or body 3 forward, In fact, inthis direction the stud or studs 15 of lever 13 escape from the top ofteeth 8a during the movement of the body 3 and retaining member 6.

Of course, various modifications may be made in the specific embodimentshown and described herein without departing from. the basic principleof the invention as set forth in the appended claims, as will readilyoccur to those conversant with the'art.

What I claim is:

1. In a ski binding, a heel hold-down device comprising a slidewayadapted to be fixed to a ski; a body slidably mounted in said slidewayand engageable with a ski boot, said slideway being formed with a baseplate provided with an elongated through aperture extendinglongitudinally, one edge of said aperture being formed with teeth; aretaining member slidably engaging said slideway; screw means adjustablyinterconnecting said body and said retaining member; and a control leverfulcrumed in said retaining member and extending through a window formedin said retaining member, said lever comprising an external projectionfor manipulating same and an internal projection in the form of a studadapted releasably to engage said teeth.

2. The device defined in claim 1 wherein said base plate is secured tothe ski and is formed with a pair of inwardly turned longitudinal edgesadapted to constitute the slideway engaged by said body and saidretaining member.

3. The device defined in claim 2 wherein said teeth along said one edgeof said elongated aperture are of square and constitute a rack.

4. The device defined in claim 2 wherein said teeth are of sawtoothconfiguration, each tooth having an oband forming a fulcrum for saidlever.

1. In a ski binding, a heel hold-down device comprising a slidewayadapted to be fixed to a ski; a body slidably mounted in said slidewayand engageable with a ski boot, said slideway being formed with a baseplate provided with an elongated through aperture extendinglongitudinally, one edge of said aperture being formed with teeth; aretaining member slidably engaging said slideway; screw means adjustablyinterconnecting said body and said retaining member; and a control leverfulcrumed in said retaining member and extending through a window formedin said retaining member, said lever comprising an external projectionfor manipulating same and an internal projection in the form of a studadapted releasably To engage said teeth.
 2. The device defined in claim1 wherein said base plate is secured to the ski and is formed with apair of inwardly turned longitudinal edges adapted to constitute theslideway engaged by said body and said retaining member.
 3. The devicedefined in claim 2 wherein said teeth along said one edge of saidelongated aperture are of square and constitute a rack.
 4. The devicedefined in claim 2 wherein said teeth are of sawtooth configuration,each tooth having an oblique side and a side perpendicular to said edgeof the aperture.
 5. The device defined in claim 1, further comprisingspring means constantly urging said control lever toward a position inwhich said stud-forming internal projection is in locking engagementwith said teeth.
 6. The device defined in claim 1 wherein said screwmeans comprises a screw-threaded rod extending through said retainingmember and engaging a nut rigid with said body to permit the fineadjustment of the position of the body, and a socket surrounding saidrod and forming a fulcrum for said lever.